Crate.



J. M. ALDERFER.

CRATE.

APPLICATJON FILED APR-7.1917.

1 5, 16 Patented Jan. 22, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

5] wuewtoz J. M. ALDERFER.

CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED APR- 7, i917.

Patented Jan. 22,1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

barren s rnrns Parana cri ics.

JOHN M. ALDERFER, OF AKRON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF T0 FREDERICK G. ALDERFER, OF MEDINA, OHIO.

CRATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 22, 1918.

Applicationfiled'April 7, 1917. Serial at. 160,445.

of Ohio, have invented new and useful Improvements in Crates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in shipping packages or crates and the object ofthe invention is to provide a crate which can be stored or shipped in a collapsed condition and which can be expanded for use-in the shipmentofmerchandise especially articles of an annular formation, such as elastic vehicle tires,

Briefly, crates for the shipment of rubber vehicletires have been customarily formed with two heads formed of bent wood and united by longitudinal slats but the growing scarcity of Woodwhich can be successfully bent into annular form substantially precludes further use of'this type of lumber, and it is therefore the object of the invention to form a crate wherein the body portion is formed from straight strips of suitable-material such as wood.

l/Vith theforegoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts constituting the invention tobe hereinafterspecifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings whichform'a part hereof, wherein is'shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations, and modifications can be resorted to which come within the scope of the matter hereinafter claimed.

Inthe drawings in which similar reference numerals indicate like parts in thed'i'ft'erent figures,

Figure 1 is a perspectiveview of a crate embodying this invention in its assembled condition, with a number of elastic vehicle tires positioned therein.

Fig. 2-is a plan view of either the head or lower member of the crate shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3'is a cross sectional view of'a portion of the crate shown in Fig. 1 taken on line'3 of Fig. 2.

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are'views similar to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of a slight"1nodific'ation ofthe crate shown in Fig. 1, Fig. G'bein'g asection taken approximately on line 6 of Fig. 5.

The crate which forms "the subject matter of the presentinv'ention comprises two heads or end members united by longitudinal slats. The end members are similar and hence a description of one is believed to be sufficient for the understanding of both and hence reference will be made to a single head in the description which follows. The head comprises a rectangular frame preferably formed of thin strips of suitable material such as wood and composed of four members, 1, 2, 3 and 4 united at their ends and with each end of each member alternately disposed withrespect to the members with which they are connected, that is to say, for instance, the member 1 overlaps the member 4 and is in turn overlapped by one end of the member 2 and one end of the member 2 overlaps one end of the member 1 and its opposite end is overlapped by one end of the member 3, and the same is true of the members 8 and 4. The ends of all of the members 14 inclusive have their ends beveled at an angle of 45 so that when secured together in assembled relation a nailing face 6' is provided which is at an angle of 45 to the members forming it for a purpose to be later described. The ends of the members l4 inclusive are united by at least two holding members 7 and 8 (see Figs. 2 and 3) for a purpose to be later described. Superpose'd' on the first frame consisting of the members 1 -'4 inclusive is an identically similarframe comprising members'Q, l0, ll'a'nd 12. In this superposed frame one end of the member 9 overlaps one end of the member 10 and the oppositeend of the member 10 overlaps one end of the member 11 and the same arrangement is true with respect to the members 11 and 12. The ends of the members 9'12 inclusive are united by a pairof spaced apart fastening means 13 and 14 (see'Fig'. 2) for a purpose to be later described. The connected ends of the frame are cut away in'a plane at an angle of 45 with respect to its members to provide faces 15' similar to the faces 6. The second frame is superposed on the first frame and so disposed that the angles of one frame alternate in position with respect to the'angles 0r corners of the other frame, in other words a line extended between diagonal corners of one frame will beat an angle of 45 with respect to a similar line drawn between diagonal corners of, the other'frame. When so positioned the two frames are united together "by holding IOU means such as nails or rivets 16. In order to stiffen the general structure a wire or cable 22 capable of being drawn taut extends between the overlapping portions of the frames and between the members thereof and between the holding means used for uniting them together, that is to say, the wire extends from the intersection of the members 1 and 2 and between the holding means 7 and 8 thereof and around the inner holding means 14 at the overlapping portions of the members 9 and 12 and between the overlapped portions of these members and from thence to a similar position between the members 12 and 11 and from thence on around the entire structure. By employment of this stiffening wire the entire structure is prevented from lateral distortion or displacement. In setting up a crate embodying the present invention the lower or bottom head of the device is placed on a suitable foundation and longitudinal strips 17 are secured or nailed to the outer faces of the lapping portions of the united members of both frames and similar longitudinal strips 18 are secured or nailed to the inner faces of the members 9, 10, 11 and 12 inelusive and each of the latter is positioned centrally of the member to which it is nailed, By this arrangement a sort of poly onal channel is formed between the longitudinal members 17 and 18 and on the head forming member is placed a ring-shaped member 19 formed of some suitable material such as cardboard. The crate is then filled with such articles as elastic vehicle tires 20 which are placed upon the ring 19 between the members 17 and 18 and after the crate is filled the head or top member is placed in position and the various longitudinal slats or bars 17 and 18 secured to corresponding portions of the upper member by nails or other means. If desired, and to comply with railroad shipment rules it is customary to inclose the annular articles before closing the crate with a wall '21 of some suitable material such as cardboard or the like. It will be pointed out that a manufacturer desiring to use these crates may have them shipped to him or keep them in storage with the heads packed neatly together and by supplying slats 17 and 18, crates may be quickly assembled by utilizing two heads and the requisite number of slats or longitudinal bars. In the modification in Figs. 4-6 inelusive the same construction is carried out with respect to the form of the heads. In this construction the inner portion of the crate is formed by upright or longitudinal slats 30 and the outer portions of the crate are formed by longitudinal strips 31 which are triangular in cross section and are secured to the inner faces of the angles formed between connected members of the frame, that is to say, the upright member denominated 31 in Fig. 5 is positioned at the inner angle of the junction between the members 9 and 12 and the same is true with respect to all other upright bars or longitudinal strips. The heads shown in Figs. 46 inclusive are strengthened by strengthening wires 32 which perform the same functions in Figs. 13 inclusive. It will be apparent that the outer longitudinal strips in the device shown in Figs. 13 inclusive depend for their retention in position upon the holding means such as nails by which they are connected to the two heads whereas in the construction shown in Figs. 4-6 inclusive the longitudinal strips 31 are within the angles formed by coadjacent and at-- tached members and hence this retention does not depend entirely upon ordinary nailing or similar holdfast devices. In practice the annular space between the outer longitudinal slats 17 and the inner longitudinal slats 18 will be of uniform size and.

large enough to take the ordinarily large tires and in order to make the crate suitable for accommodating tires of lesscross-seetional diameter, and still hold them from movement during shipment the inner longitudinal slats 18 may be positioned nearer the intersections of the straight slats, that is to say, in Fig. 2 the inner slat marked 18 may be moved either toward the intersection of the slats 3 and l]. or near the intersection of the slats 3 and 10.

I claim,

1. A crate of the class described comprising two end members, each member consisting of a pair of superposed square frames secured together, one of said frames being so disposed with respect to the other frame that a line extended between the diagonal corners or angles thereof is at an angle of 45 with respect to a similar diagonal line of the other frame, and a plurality of slats extending between said end members and connected to the inner faces thereof and a plurality of slats extending between said end members and connected with the angles or corners thereof, the two series of slats forming an annular chamber or receptacle.

2. A crate of the class described comprising two end members, each member consisting of a pair of superposed square frames secured together, one of said frames being so disposed with respect to the other frame that a line extended between the diagonal corners or angles thereof is at an angle of 45 with respect to a similar diagonal line of the other frame, whereby the interiors of the end members are octagonal in form and the exterior is provided with eight projections disposed radially with respect to the center of'each interior face of each memher and a plurality of slats extending between said end members and connected to as does the wire 22 shown' the central portion of each inner face of each end member and a plurality of slats each connecting with the registering angles or corners of the two end members and extending therebetween, the two series of slats forming an annular chamber or receptacle.

3. A crate of the class described comprising two end members, each member consisting of a pair of superposed square frames secured together, one of said frames being so disposed with respect to the other frame that a line extended between the diagonal corners of angles thereof is at an angle of 45 with respect to a similar diagonal line of the other frame, a strengthening member connecting all of said corners or angles, and a plurality of slats extending between said end members and connected to the inner faces thereof and a plurality of slats extending between the end members and connected near the angles or corners of the two end members thereby providing two series of slats to form an annular chamber or receptacle.

4. A crate of the class described comprising two end members each end member consisting of a pair of superposed square frames secured together, the connected portions of each frame being secured together by two holdfast means, one of said frames being so disposed with respect to the other frame that a line extended between the diagonal corners or angles thereof is at an angle of 45 with respect to a similar line of the other frame,

a strengthening member connecting all of the corners or angles of the two frames together and positioned between the members of each pair of holdfast'means employed at the angles or corners thereof and a plurality of slats extending between the two end members and connected to the inner faces of each and a plurality of slats connected with the angles or corners of the two end members and extending between the end members, the two series of slats forming an approximately annular chamber or receptacle.

5. A crate of the class described comprising two end members, each member consisting of a pair of superposed polygonal frames secured together, with the angles of one.

frame alternating in position with respect to the angles of the other frame so that a line extended between opposing angles of one frame is at an angle with respect to a similarly-disposed line extended between opposing angles of the other frame, and a plurality of slats extending between said end members and secured to the inner faces thereof and a plurality of slats extending between said end members and secured to the angles or the corners thereof, the two series of slats forming a polygonal chamber or receptacle.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set myhand.

JOHN M. ALDERFER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

